1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sound absorber using a nonwoven fabric and a wiring harness with sound absorber in which a sound absorber and a wiring harness are integrated.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, sound insulators and sound absorbers made of glass wool, rock wool, porous ceramic, waste cotton and the like have been provided near devices, which generate noise, in a vehicle for the purpose of enhancing the vehicle interior quietness of an automotive vehicle. However, nonwoven fabrics are used in many of these sound insulators and sound absorbers at present from the perspective of the workability of sound insulators and sound absorbers, influences on human bodies, recyclability, environmental loads and weight reduction.
Further, there have been rapid growths in performances and functions centering on automotive vehicles, electronic products and the like in recent years. For the precise operation of various electronic facilities such as these automotive vehicles and electronic products, it is necessary to use a plurality of wires for internal wiring. These plurality of wires are generally used in the form of a wiring harness. The wiring harness is formed by assembling a plurality of wires into a form necessary for wiring in advance and covering the outer periphery of a wire bundle with a wiring harness protective material having one of various shapes such as a tape shape, a tube shape and a sheet shape after performing necessary branching, the mounting of connectors on ends and the like.
A wiring harness mounted in an automotive vehicle is arranged in the vehicle to electrically connect various electric components including devices which generate noise as described above. This wiring harness may generate noise by contacting a vehicle body or another member or the like in the vehicle such as due to vibration. Thus, a cushioning material for suppressing noise due to contact with the other member or the like may be provided on the outer periphery of the wiring harness. An example of a known wiring harness is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-216161.
Generally, a basis weight, a thickness and the like, which are specifications, of a nonwoven fabric are determined and fixed in a production process of the nonwoven fabric. Thus, in the case of changing the basis weight, the thickness and the like of the nonwoven fabric after production, it requires man-hours due to reworking and causes a material loss.
On the other hand, if a thickness of a sound absorber and clearances in a vehicle do not match and gaps are formed between the sound absorber and the respective members in the vehicle when the sound absorber is arranged in the vehicle, abnormal noise due to the mutual contact of the members and noise outside the vehicle may enter the vehicle interior to impair vehicle interior quietness.